Dhaka underplays arsenic well water

Dhaka underplays arsenic well water

BANGLADESH: A government minister downplayed the threat of arsenic-tainted well water, though experts warn it could expose 57 million Bangladeshis - half the nation's population - to diseases such as cancer.

"Arsenic contamination of water is not a serious problem," Finance Minister Saifur Rahman said in a speech late Wednesday.

The ministry is tasked with disbursing money to fight what some experts have described as one of history's worst mass poisoning.

Over the past two years, the World Bank has provided US$52 million to help find alternative sources of drinking water and the United Nations has donated another $2.5 million. Much of the aid goes to NGOs rather than government programs.

Rahman's remarks contrasted sharply with the findings of a UN report published last year that said nearly 57 million people in Bangladesh are at risk of getting cancer from drinking arsenic- tainted water. --AP